A four-year-old girl has died after an incident at a swimming pool at Waterworld in Staffordshire, police have said. Officers were called to the water park in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, at about 4.20pm on Monday to reports of a child in a critical condition. She was treated at the scene and then taken to hospital but later died.
The child’s next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specially trained officers, Staffordshire police confirmed. In a post on Facebook, Waterworld said the incident occurred in the lagoon area of the aqua park on Festival Way. The girl was found unconscious and treated on poolside by lifeguards and management, who immediately provided CPR and called emergency services.
Waterworld announced it would remain closed on Tuesday out of respect for the family. A spokesperson said: “It is with great sadness that we learned of this little girl’s passing this evening. All our thoughts are with her family and loved ones during these extremely difficult times. Waterworld is in shock and has decided to remain closed tomorrow out of respect for the family.”
DCI Lucy Maskew from Staffordshire police said: “Our thoughts are with the family at this terribly sad time. We are now making inquiries and looking to establish the circumstances of the incident. We would ask that members of the public avoid speculating in these early stages of the investigation and allow the family to grieve.” Anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting incident number 460 of 4 August.
